Pansy/viola care
PANSY viola x wittrockiana
One of my favorite flowers is the pansy. The flat-faced, lightly fragranced flowers that come in dozen of colors always make me smile. They are great in flower boxes, hanging baskets and bedding plants.
Pansies can be grown in areas where the summers are cool and winters are mild as they tolerate temperatures below freezing (-15F) and prefer cool summer temperatures below 85F.
In southern states, pansy is grown as a winter flowering plant. It will bloom in the fall, thrive in winter and again start blooming in spring.
In the north, it is mostly grown as an annual but new cultivars such as ‘Skyline’, ‘Sky’, ‘Etain’, ‘Maxims’, Unviersal Plus’ have been known to be both heat and cold tolerant providing a longer blooming period. The super hardy varieties can survive the winter as far north as zone 4 as long as they are planted early enough in the season. Pansies stop developing new roots when soil temperatures drop below 45 degrees, therefore it is important to plant early in order to establish a good root system before the soil freezes. When freezing winds begin to fly, add 2-3″ of mulch for protection.
Care: Plant pansies in rich, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to dappled shade and protect from the hot summer sun. Space them 6-8 inches apart. Add a balanced fertilizer at the time of planting and for maximum bloom, give the plant additional light feedings once a month over the growing period. Water early in the day (1/2-1″ per wk) to provide even moisture and avoid over-head watering to prevent fungal disease.
They bloom best in early spring before the hot summer sets in which causes them to stop blooming. For additional fall bloom, cut the plants down to 2 inches in July and fertilize. They will bounce back with the cooler temperatures.
Deadheading will prolong bloom time and pinching periodically will produce a bushy plant.
Pansies can be started from seeds in late winter 10-12 weeks before the last frost date
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Hi,
Early in the spring, I had some hanging potted plants that had, among other plants, some pansies and violas. They went to seed and suddenly I had beautiful violas all over my garden. I would like to keep some and grow them again next year. I have been ‘harvesting’ the teenie seeds by shaking the pods into a plastic bag, but this is very difficult, as the seeds are about 1/10th the size of a poppy seed. How can I save some of the plants over the winter?
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What is the best fertilizer for pansies
I have several pots of pansies mixed with violas on my deck. This morning I noticed that they are covered with little white bugs, almost unrecognizable they are so tiny. The bugs are in crawling stage and ineff/larvae stage. How can I get rid of them to protect my beatiful flowers? What are they?
I planted pansies in the spring they had big faces on them, now their the size of viola’s, I put some food on them but that didn’t seem to make a difference. I planted under a tree they do get the later after noon sun.
what should i do to make them happy again
Judy H
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Pansy/viola care
The lawn service used a leaf blower on my pansies. They are now flattened. Will they straighten up again. Is there anything I can do to correct the flattening? The lawn service has been aprised of their deed, however, I want to help my panises.
thank you,
Donna
I received 5 potted pansy arrangements as a gift. Can I leave them in the pots through the summer & plant them in the ground early fall.
Thank you,
Carolyn
My company planted some pansies in a flower bed by the entrance to the parking lot. Sometime during the night, something uprooted the pansies and just left them sitting on top of the ground. Can you tell me what animal could have done this?
Thank you,
Nona
I was thrilled that my pansies had seeded from last year….I have several pots as I have only have a small garden/yard….
I noticed this morning they looked wilted even though they had been watered…to my horror at a closer inspection they are infested with whitefly…little blighters have sucked them dry….they have just flopped over…
I sprayed them with soapy water spray….would it be wise to throw them out they do look too far gone…to think they were beautiful last week….
many thanks…
Irene
I planted pansies in pots the middle of June. They are in afternoon shade. How can I keep them in bloom for an event the end of August? We live in the upper penninsula of Michigan.
Hi, I have just bought a house this year and started straight away in the garden. I have planted some beautiful Viola’s and Geraniums that have flowered great, and want to keep them through the winter. I live in the UK so we get quite wet and frosty winters. What can i do? (Bare in mind i’m a first time gardener when replying to my post
)
Thanks
S
Hi I would like to know if you have a solution for my problem; I planted four pots of pritty violetts in may and put them outside my front door on my stairs and about two weeks ago I noted that something is eating all the flower heads and leaving the little leg on the plant at first i tought my elderly mother that lives with me was deadheading them but when she was away for a week and this was incresing daily I realized that it is something else, can you help me?
Are you referring to African violets or violas (mini pansies)?
I am planting pansies in Sept. for a company. Some of the planting spots are in full sun. It is the end of our summer in Massachusetts, however, some days do get hot- I would say around 85 degrees. But, the nights will be cooler. Will the pansies make it?
The pansies look wilted and the leaves are dried up looking even after fertilizing them every 2 weeks with Miracle Grow and regular watering in the mornings. Can you tell me what is wrong with them? Connie
Hi Connie
Pansies slow down, stop blooming and can dry up during the hot part of summer. For additional fall bloom cut the plant back to 2-4 inches from the ground and fertilize.
Fertilizing pansies
I have just planted my pansies for the winter in TN and was wondering what kind of fertilizer is best suited for growth?
Hi Mitch
Pansies need more food than most annuals when they are actively growing. They like well-drained soil that is rich in organic material. If you live in a warm climate, mix a slow- release fertilizer into the soil at planting time. Add a light balanced fertilizer of 10-10-10 or 5-10-10 in late fall and again in early spring . Be careful not to over fertilize or use a high-nitrogen formula as too much feeding can produce leggy, soft growth and make the plant susceptible to rot. They will bloom as long as the temperature is above freezing and peak in spring
Root rot disease
I love pansies toughness and beauty but this year I have replaced 40 or more plants due to black leg or crown rot disease. I hope you can recomend a drench or something that will stop it. I have also had most of the vincas die of a similar problem.
Animal repellents
It is November and I live in East Tennessee. I planted pansies by my front porch and by our mailbox at the street a couple of weeks ago. Four days later, the flower heads were all gone and a fairly clean topped stem and leaves was all that remained. It took a while but whatever is eating them finally discovered the ones by the mailbox. I do not know if this happens at night or just when I am not looking out my front door. What can I spray or spread around to discourage the pansy-eating culprits?
hello!
i planted some violas in pots by my door several months ago when the weather was warmer. i took care of them and they thrived! the problem now is that they are doing SO well that they are kind of hiding the baby tree that they are supposed to be bordering. winter weather is definitely coming, and i was hoping that the colder temperatures would calm them down a little, but they’re still blooming and growing! what do i need to do to cut them back a little without killing the plants?